Sloan! Weve just met Jane, Valerie said happily. She giggled. I told her how terrified I was when I found the skull, but then, shes an FBI agentIm sure she would have behaved perfectly normally.
Maybe not. A skull can startle anyone, Jane Everett said.
Oh, you havent met yet! Valerie said. Ill introduce you. Agent Jane Everett, meet our towns sheriff, Sloan Trent. Sloan, this is Agent Everett.
Its Jane, please, Jane said, standing to shake his hand. She was on the tall side, he noted. Probably about five-nine, since she was wearing neat low pumps and seemed about five-ten or so against his six-three frame. She had a beautiful face, absolutely elegant and classical. He imagined that once they were gone, the shows leading ladies would be discussing her...assets. She appeared to be lean and trim, but even in her regulation attire, she seemed to have the curves to suggest a well-honed body.
So this was the artist Logan had sent to sketch his skull?
It wasnt his skull, he reminded himself. But the skull had belonged to a living, breathing human being and it was part of his towns history. As far as he knew, anyway. And if it wasntif Jane Everetts rendering of the long-dead woman couldnt be identifiedsomeone had dug it up from somewhere to play a gruesome prank on the shows cast or crew.
It just should have gone to Washington or a museum, he thought again.
He understood why Henri had insisted it stay in Lily. He wanted to know whod gotten hold of the skulland whod put it in the basement storage room of the Gilded Lily.
Sheriff Sloan Trent, he said, accepting her hand and nodding to the others in acknowledgment. They all greeted him in turn, either as Sloan or as Sheriffas if that was his given name. There wasnt a lot of formality in Lily.
Im here to take you to our offices. We have a room prepared for you to work in. I hope youll find everything you need.
She nodded. I bring most of my own supplies, she said, patting the black case she carried over her shoulder. We should be fine. Thank you, Sheriff.
My pleasure, Agent Everett. You ready?
I am.
There was a chorus of lovely to meet you and nice to make your acquaintance and other cordial statements as they left the stage area and headed out, along with See you later, Sloan!
He led the way to his SUVthen hesitated. Hed been raised to open doors for ladies, but wasnt sure what the protocol was with an agent. He decided hed be damned if he was going to change. He opened the passenger door. She thanked him as she slid in.
An awkward silence followed as he drove down Main Street, then along the paved road that passed by a smattering of houses and ranches on small plots, and finally larger tracts as he traveled the six miles from the heart of Lily to the modern downtown area of town.
She broke the silence.
So, Logan said he sometimes worked with you in Texas. But youre from Lily? she asked.
I am, he told her.
Its really remarkable, she said. Her voice seemed strained; she was obviously trying to be pleasant and cheerful. The town, I meannot that youre from it.
Its remarkable in its preservation, I suppose. Tombstone is similar, but far better-known. The gunfight at the O.K. Corral and all that, he said. We had our share of outlaws, but none that caught the American imagination like Wyatt Earp and his brothers. Of course, Wyatt Earp wrote books that fostered the popular conception of the Old West.
Ah, but Lily has the Gilded Lily, Jane said.
And Tombstone has the Birdcage. He glanced her way. But the Gilded Lily has never been closed. Its been an operating theater since it first opened. And while the Birdcage had its cages or cribs in balconies so its ladies of the night could entertain during performances, the Gilded Lily pretended to be a totally legitimate theater. The working ladies only entertained clients in their rooms upstairsand that was to keep from losing clientele to the saloon and entertainment center across the street. Of course, the Gilded Lily tried for a higher class of clientele, Sloan said.
She laughed softly. Convenient where they placed the Old Jail. Right next to the Gilded Lily...
Within shouting distance, he agreed.
And across the street from the saloon.
Either way, you could walk prisoners into a cell within a few hundred feet, he said. He glanced at her. Youre from Texas?
Yes, she said. San Antonio, she added. Though I did work with different agencies around the state until I joined Logans Krewe.
You always wanted to be an artist? he asked.
She shrugged. I was always drawing, she said.
Theyd reached the sheriffs office. He pulled into the lot in front.
The office wasnt really that smallnot when you considered the size of the town. The building had been constructed in the 1930s by someone whod evidently been to Toledo, Spain, and fallen in love with the medieval architecture. There was a tower on either front corner, and the roof was tile while the exterior was brick. The parking lot held room for at least twenty carssomeone had been optimistic about the growth of Lily. To the left, where the offices were located, were a bank, a coffee house, a Mexican restaurant and an Italian restaurant. To the right was an Asian restaurant and a Brazilian steak house, along with the areas mallan enclosure of about eight shops. Lily could proudly say that there were three national chain stores among them.
The biggest excitement in town had occurred when theyd acquired one of the countrys largest burger chains, which had chosen to locate in the mall. Keeping offices in old adobe homes or the occasional professional building were a few lawyers, accountants, doctors and decorators. The high school was just half a mile back toward the old town.
Not such a small place, she said cheerfully as he parked and they exited the car.
Small enough that the skull should have been sent to a lab, Sloan murmured.
He realized that his antagonism toward her became apparent with his careless words when she made a barely perceptible movement, stiffening. She stood by the car, looking at him, and he saw the hardness that came into her eyes.
Im really proficient at what I do, Sheriff. You dont need to worry that my work will be lacking in any way.
He could have said something to try to smooth her ruffled feathers; he didnt. He just shrugged. Since this isnt a new murder, Im sure your work will be more than sufficient.
He felt the chill of her eyes. Sheriff, I will certainly try very hard to do work thats sufficient.
He hadnt meant to make matters worse. On the other hand, he could hardly have been more rude. Once again, an explanation or an apology might seem lame, so he indicated the door and said, That didnt come out the way I meant it. Im sure youre excellent at what you do. Come in and meet the staffall two of the rest of our day crew.
She turned, not waiting for him, and entered through the front door.
Deputy Betty Ivy was on duty at the desk when they came in. Again, someone had been overoptimistic about the growth of Lily. There were three offices for senior law officials, but since they only had six law officials all toldthree on days, three at night, reduced to two at various hours to avoid overtimeone office was usually empty. Betty often manned the front desk during the day. Lamont Atkins, an easygoing man in his mid-forties who managed to maintain more control with a quiet voice than any swaggering might accomplish, also worked the day shift. Lamont started his day by touring around in town; he liked to show that the sheriffs department was ever-vigilant. Chet Morgan rounded out his day crew.
As they walked in, Jane Everett breezed right up and introduced herself to Betty with professional charm before Sloan could make the introductions. From his office behind the entry, Chet Morgan rose and came out to join them by the front desk, grinning and friendly as he met Jane.
Weve set up the skull in the interrogation room, Betty said, standing. Ive got a scanner in there, camera connected to the computer, sketch pad... Ive watched a few forensic programs, so I thought you might want to take a lot of pictures and do whatever you do to get that 3-D image thing going. I mean, the computer has a camera, but I wasnt sure how youd move it around to get the right angles, so...well, anything you need, well do our best to get for you.
Thats perfect, thank you. Actually, more than perfect. I have my own instruments for measurements. Ill probably do what I call an imagination sketch todayjust what I see from the skull, Jane told her. Its late, and Ive come in from the D.C. area, so Im little travel-weary. Tomorrow, Ill start with the measurements.
Im intrigued to see your work! Betty said enthusiastically.
Betty was a good womanand a good deputy. When hed come back to Lily, Sloan had been surprised that she hadnt wanted the job of sheriff herself. A widow with two grown children, shed worked for the department most of her adult life. But she hadnt wanted the responsibility of being sheriff. She had iron-gray hair, cheerful blue eyes and a way of handling the occasional drunk or kid working on a misspent youth with unshakeable stoicism and a calm demeanor. She had the ability to convince both drunks and adolescents that they werent going anywheretheyd pay the price for their transgressions before a judge and no fast-talking lawyer was getting them out of the clink that night. Sloan had told her that being sheriff of Lily wasnt really a matter of heavy responsibility but Betty had said, Oh, Sloan, small towns can still have big problems. I like being a deputy. You run for sheriff. Ill vote for you!
Ms. EverettAgent Everett! Chet said, quickly correcting himself. Anything you need, you let me know!
Chet was only twenty-six. He was staring at Jane Everett as if Marilyn Monroe had risen from the grave and floated into their offices. He was as good and solid a deputy as Betty, just...young. Tall, a bit awkward, Chet had served in the military as a sharpshooter before returning to Lilyand a parade in his honor. Lily was small; the return of a serviceman was an occasion to be celebrated.
Agent, come with me, if you will, Sloan said. Ill show you your workroom. And the skull.
Well, show her the kitchen and where to find coffee, too, huh? Betty said, frowning at Sloan before turning to smile at Jane again. Weve got sodas, coffee, snacks, you name it. Kitchens the first door on the left down that hall and you help yourself to anything. Oh, and you have an intercom in there. If you need me for anything, just push the button and call me.
Jane thanked Betty and Chet and followed Sloan down the hall. He opened the door to Interrogation Room A. They also had Interrogation Rooms B and C, but theyd never actually used A to interrogate anyone, much less B or C.
He opened the door and turned on the lights. There was a desk with a computer and theyd also set up a graphic arts easel with a large sketch pad for their guest. As shed said, Betty had supplied their guest with a camera, computer, scanner, tracing paper, tissue markers, wire and morticians wax. The skull itself had been set in the middle of a conference table in the center of the room; it was on a stand, minus the wig and with a few adjustments. Sloan hadnt known much about reconstructing a lifelike image from a skull, but Betty had done some research and had some help from a professor friend in Tucson. The skull had been angled to the best of the professors ability at a Frankfurt plane, or the anatomical position of the skull as it naturally sat on the body.
The jawbone, disarticulated, lay in front of it, just as it had when it was found.
Jane seemed to have eyes for nothing but the skull. She walked right up to it, studied it for a moment and then picked up the jaw, testing the jagged lines that connected it.
The M.E. was right, she murmured. Its very old. She glanced at Sloan. If this was someone whod died more recently, the structure would have more integrity. The years gone by create these soft spots. If you pressed too hard along one of these lines, it could just fall apart. I would agree that its the skull of a womanprobably in her late twenties or early thirties, judging by the fusion of the bones. She took good care of her teeth, since theres very little decay.
For a moment, she closed her eyes. She seemed to be in a trance; she looked like a medium standing there, as if she could communicate with the bone.
Irritated, he cleared his throat.
Can I get you anything? he asked her.
She turned to look at him, and she seemed equally irritated. Sheriff, you are, after all, the sheriff. A very busy man. Im sure I can find my own way around the office. Ill help myself to coffee...if you dont mind.
We change to the night crew at five, he told her. Please wrap up your work for the day by then. Ill get you back to the Gilded Lily and then pick you up in the morning, about 8:00 a.m.if that works for you.
She nodded. Yes, thats fine.
He left her and returned to his office, the one directly behind Bettys desk. There were several folders waiting for him. He picked up the firstthe arrest report for Arty Johnson. Arty was an old-timer with a penchant for drinking too much. Hed wind up banned from the Gilded Lily and the saloon, but he was really a decent guy, and hed quickly work his way back into the good graces of the management. Last week, Arty had gotten a little carried away and joined the cast onstage at the Gilded Lily. Henri Coque, incensed at the time, had demanded that he be arrested. Arty had slept it off in one of the five cells, and then Sloan had driven him home. Arty had rued his behavior all the way.
He set the file aside. Hopefully, Henri wouldnt press charges.
He picked up the next file, shaking his head. Jimmy Hough, local high-school senior and football star, was in the cells now. His father owned a beefalo farm; the meat hadnt become as popular in the east as theyd expected, but Caleb Hough still made a fortune selling his hybrid meat. Jimmy had taken his fathers Maserati out for a spin and crashed into Connie Larsons Honda. When he was picked up, hed been as high as a kitenot even Lily, Arizona, escaped the drugs that continued to ravage schools.
Logan decided this was a good time to type up reports.
An hour passed as he dealt with paperwork. Then he became aware of a commotion out front. He looked up. Caleb Hough was accosting Betty, reaming her out for putting his sons future at risk.
Sloan got up and went out to meet the big man. Caleb wore his wealth as if it were clothing. Maybe that was what happened to self-made men, at least in areas like this, where the population was sparse.
Trent! Hough bellowed as Sloan walked out. You had the audacity to order your deputy McArthur to keep my kid in jail overnight. It was just a fender bender! Jimmy has a futurehes a star! Hes being scouted by colleges across the country. If my boy has a record
Hough, I had my deputy keep your boy in here when he was picked up because he was three sheets to the wind. I would think youd want him learning something about accountability. No, hes not a bad kid, and I dont want to see him with a record. I didnt just throw him in and forget him, either. I asked Doc Levin in to check on him. I also had a good conversation with him and with Connie Larson. Jimmy didnt leave the scene, and he was concerned about hitting Connie. I kept him overnight because, for one, he needed to sober up. Two, he needed a lesson. I let him out this morning, since Connie doesnt want charges pressed and there were no witnesses, and I believe that hes a good kid. However...he knows Im watching him now, even if you arent. I warned him that if he takes one step in the wrong direction, Ill throw the book at him. Hes charged with careless driving. Now, get the hell out of here before I charge you with something.